1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus and, more particularly, to a scanning type image recording apparatus for scanning a light beam and recording an image corresponding to a time sequential pixel signal onto a recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hitherto, such a kind of scanning type image recording apparatus has been disclosed in JP-A-56-8112. The scanning type image recording apparatus is of the type in which a non-exposal portion which is not exposed by a light beam is developed. As compared with the type in which an exposed portion is developed, an "image fading" phenomenon occurs. Therefore, the "image fading" phenomenon is corrected by changing the pulse width of the time sequential pixel signal. However, nothing is considered with respect to a pulse width fluctuation due to a signal waveform distortion when the time sequential pixel signal passes through a signal transmission path.
According to the invention disclosed in JP-A-59-101961, there has been proposed a technique in which for a pulse width fluctuation due to a signal waveform distortion when a time sequential pixel signal passes through a signal transmission path, the time sequential pixel signal is latched by a clock signal which passes through the signal transmission path having the same characteristic, and the pulse width of the time sequential pixel signal transmitted is reconstructed.
However, in the conventional technique as disclosed in JP-A-56-8112 or 59-101961, nothing is considered with respect to a point of fluctuations of the developing level, light amount, and the like which are time dependent fluctuation elements on what is called a zerography technique as a basic technique of the scanning type image recording apparatus. There is a problem such that the image quality fluctuates as the time elapses.
In addition, no consideration is made with respect to the type in which the exposed portion is developed and there is a problem such that an "image thickening" phenomenon occurs.
There is also a problem such that a change value to the pulse width is a fixed value and each user cannot select the image quality which is actually needed.
On the other hand, for the function to thicken only the image of an arbitrary continuous scanning line portion in one page, what is called a bold function (to widen the line width) as a kind of image emphasis or the like, a countermeasure to cope with such a function by changing the pulse width is not taken. There is also a problem such that a memory capacity of a ROM for a character pattern on the side of the pixel signal generating means increases or the character pattern generating logic becomes complicated.